Glass Room
by Beckoning.Disaster
Summary: Jareth smiles at her, but the action is cold and empty. "You refused your dreams, Sarah," he purrs. "So now I'm giving you your nightmares."
1. Prologue

"No! Ow, you're hurting!"

"Hurting? No, we're helping."

"We're helping hands!"

Jake, a young boy not yet twelve, struggled against the hundreds of hands supporting and grabbing him. "Get off, let me go!"

"Which way?" the hands asked him. "Up or down?"

"I definitely don't want to go down," Jake blurted out, frightened.

"He chose up!"

"He chose up?"

"He chose up! Ha!"

"Was I wrong?" he demanded fearfully, but the hands simply laughed as they started passing him back up the way he came.

"Oomph!" Jake landed, hard, on a ground that was unfamiliar. Groaning audibly, he took his time straightening up, and when he did, he was flabbergasted.

In front of him was what looked like a giant crystal, like the ones the King had, but in building form. It shined brightly, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the forest that surrounded it.

"You shall not pass!" A small creature that looked strangely like a fox atop a dog screeched at him. Next to the odd animal was an even more eccentric creature that resembled an orange yeti.

"What's in there?" Jake asked curiously, coming closer to both the building and the things guarding it.

"Nothing of which shall be seen by your prying eyes, young scoundrel!" The fox-dog thing shouted at him again, brandishing an unfortunately sharp-looking sword at him. The orange yeti nodded slowly, yet vigorously, in agreement.

Jake frowned, quickly looking around him and spotting what seemed to be a pile of (please not human) bones. Picking up one gingerly, he threw it as hard as he could into the forest. "Go get it!" he yelled at the dog-thing, and it quickly bounded after the bone, screaming, "AMBROSIOUS! Ambrosious, no, get back there at once!"

One creature taken care of, Jake strode confidently up to the orange yeti. "I'm Jake," he said. "And I want to go inside."

"Ludo can't," The creature shook it's head. It held a menacingly hard-looking rock, but Jake was unperturbed.

"Alright, well . . . I guess - Look, something shiny!" Jake pointed to the side abruptly.

"Shine - _ey_?" The yeti repeated as he looked quickly to the side, allowing Jake to slip past him and inside the building.

"That was too easy," Jake laughed to himself, before stopping and taking in where he was.

It was just a wide, circular room, with what looked to be glass or mirrors as the walls. The floor was pale gray and resembled concrete. The room itself was expansive and empty, save for one small creature sitting in front of one part of the wall.

"Hello?" Jake called out tentatively and the thing quickly turned to look back at him.

"Oh," it said sadly. "Just you. A runner. 'Got me hopes up for nothin'."

"I'm Jake," he said hesitantly, approaching the ugly humanoid carefully. "Who are you?"

"I'm Hoggle," it said, turning back to the mirror. "And she don't come out for me no more."

"Who?" Jake asked politely, now directly behind the thing called Hoggle.

"Never you mind," Hoggle said harshly. "I know I don't deserve to see her, but I's still wants to. She used to come out all the time for me, but now she don't come out for me no more. Just him. Just him."

"I see," Jake said, though he really didn't see at all.

"I loved her, see," said Hoggle. "But she stopped callin' me after and then that rat made this room and I could see her anytime I wants 'ta. Now she just hides and don't come out to see me. Not even to hear how much Hoggle misses her."

"Hmm," Jake murmurred, bored.

"Hockin!" A loud, booming voice suddenly echoed throughout the room. Jake turned quickly to see the Goblin King striding imperiously towards them. "I thought I told to stay out of this room!"

Hoggle ignored him, just stared in apt wonder as a beautiful lady appeared on the glass, looking curiously out at them. "Get out!" The King bellowed loudly, his voice echoing, a crystal appearing in his hands. He threw it at the open-mouthed Hoggle, who vanished as soon as it hit him.

The lady in the glass looked like she was stifiling a laugh.

It took a moment for the King to notice Jake, who had quickly became silent. The King had calmed, the lady's presence soothing him, and he turned to Jake briefly.

"I see you found my glass room, boy," the King said, his voice much kinder but more preoccupied. He went up to the glass and kissed it reverently where the woman's cheek would have been. She blushed and danced away, her flowy dress floating about her.

"It's very nice," Jake said honestly.

"What do you think of it?" The King asked, his eyes following the gorgeous woman around the room. "Of her?"

"She's beautiful!" Jake said appreciatively with a blissful smile.

"Yes," The Goblin King agreed, his face expressionless as he reached out to touch her unreal, outstretched hand. "Yes, she is."

"Why is she here?" Jake asked curiously, watching the lady in the glass smile adoringly at the King before flitting away, across the room, and briefly disappearing. She came back in a different dress, this one dark green, form-fitting, and infinitely more adult.

"Not that one, my sweet," The King murmured, not loud enough for Jake to hear. "This boy's eyes are much too innocent for that dress."

She nodded, like she understood, and disappeared once again. "She's here," the King said in response to Jake's earlier question. "Because I need her to be here."

"Is she real?" Jake asked, the lady returning, this time in an elaborate white dress, looking much younger than she had before.

"Ah, yes," said the King, mostly to himself, with a small smile. "That one is my favorite. Thank you, Sarah." The glass lady giggled inaudibly, grinning widely at the Goblin King before beginning to dance around the glass by herself to a silent tune. The King watched her longingly for a moment or two before turning his attention back to the boy. "She is very real," the King said. "But she is only a copy."

"Sarah? That's her name?" Jake cocked his head, waiting until the King nodded before continuing. "Who is she?"

"Just a girl," said the King. "The one who got away." He paused, turning his gaze back to the dancing form of the lady. "She disappeared and I have yet to find her again."

"Why can't you find her?" Jake asked sympathetically.

"I have no power over her," The King answered with a wry smirk. "Or so she believes. So she has ensured."

Jake didn't fully understand what the King meant, and paused and thought for a moment. "You know, she looks awfully familiar."

The man cocked an eyebrow and turned his head to look at the boy. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," Jake nodded. "She looks kinda like that lady on TV. The one that makes movies? My mom likes the one she's in where she's that lost princess." Jake paused. "In fact, I think her name's Sarah, too. Sarah Williams. Yeah, that's it!"

The King began to steadily and stealthily approach the boy, his eyes beginning to burn. "Oh? And do you know where Sarah Williams might reside?"

"She lives with that guy in Brooklyn. Everyone knows that," Jake shrugged. "She practically advertises it. 130 Blossom Lane, in the heart of Brooklyn. She likes meeting her fans; my mom went there to meet her once. There was lots of security and stuff, but my mom said she was really nice and meeting her was worth it."

"I'm sure it was," The King purred. A slow, predatory smile creeped over the Goblin King's face and the lady in the glass stopped dancing, her face expressing horror, her hand over her mouth in dismay. Somewhere, a clock started to chime. "Dear boy," the King was directly in front of him now, and he leaned down to be closer to Jake's height. _One. Two. Three._ "You have just done me a great service. And to thank you, I'll be returning your sister home."

"That's awesome, thanks!" Jake grinned, watching the King stand and turn away from him. _Four. Five. Six._ The room started to sway, suddenly, the colors darkening and brightening simultaneously. _Seven. Eight. Nine._ "Hey. Hey, wait! What -?" _Ten._

"But unfortunately, that means you'll be turning into a goblin in her place," said the King, his back to the boy._ Eleven._ "Such a pity." _Twelve._

The clock chimed thirteen.

"NO!" Jake screamed as he slowly began to shrink, his vocal cords distorting, speech beginning to leave him. The Goblin King ignored the boy, instead turning his attention to the glass Sarah, who had come to be before him, her hands outstretched to him beseechingly.

"I'm sorry, pet," the King said gently, running a finger along the surface where she seemed to reside. "But I've got the real you to find." She shook her head fiercely, tears leaking down the sides of her face, but the King tore himself away from her and strode away. As he started to leave, the room began to shake.

The moment that the Goblin King stepped outside of the glass room, it began to break. The glass lady had her mouth open in a silent scream as the glass splintered and shattered and crumbled in on itself. In the middle of the chaos, a newly turned goblin huddled into a small ball, his last conscious thought wondering why he had just betrayed the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

* * *

Re-edited. I've got a plotline starting now, folks. But it's darker and more sinister than I could've ever forseen - so hold on tight, because you're in for a bumpy, M-rated ride!


	2. Chapter One

**PLEASE BE FOREWARNED THAT THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPPED TO A MATURE RATING FOR FUTURE DARK CONTENT.**

It's raining.

Sarah hates it when rains.

She can hear the steady rhythm of raindrops on her front porch as she mundanely puts away the groceries.

It's six o'clock. Roger should be home soon.

There's a knock at the door. She perks up instantly, running a hand through her hair as she turns towards the noise. It's a weekday, which usually means no visitors. Maybe Roger forgot his keys again. If the guards need something, they usually ring the doorbell. So it must be Roger.

"Coming!" she calls, moving quickly. "I've missed y-" she starts, opening the door with a grin.

But it's not Roger.

It's definitely not Roger.

"Oh, Sarah," Jareth smiles nefariously. "I've missed you, too."

Her grin fades, she feels frozen, stunned by his presence. But then instinct kicks in and she's trying to slam the door in his face, **_get away get_ _away _**-

- but he's too fast, he's already stuck out his hand and prevented the door from closing on him. She's running now, trying to flee, but he's right behind her, moving effortlessly.

"Go away!" she shrieks, grabbing the nearest inanimate object and throwing it to the floor in an effort to slow him down, to hinder him in some way. "I beat you! I _won_! So go _**away**_!"

"Sarah, really," Jareth chastises, waving a hand through the air to produce a crystal. He's still now, calculating, as she dashes for the back door. He throws the crystal and it hits the wall just as she reaches for the doorknob. Darkness spreads like an infection; the walls, the windows, and the doors have all turned black, just as Sarah turns and pulls at her chance for escape -

But it won't budge.

She shrieks in her rage and despair and tugs with all her might, hoping to fight magic with sheer will power. Jareth slowly, leisurely approaches her, his eyes drinking her in, feeding on her passionate emotions. When she comes to the conclusion that she's fighting a losing battle, she turns around, her eyes blazing, only to find the Goblin King directly in front of her. "You aren't happy to see me?" he asks, mocking her with a pout.

She screams again for an answer, lashing out at him physically. She kicks and hits and scratches and claws, and when she tries to bite him, he finally growls fiercely and attempts to pin her down. He grabs one wrist in each hand and pulls them above her head, making her struggle and writhe against him to try to free herself. He presses himself against her, making her struggles more labored, and hunches down slightly so that they are face to face.

Sarah snarls and tries to bite him again, going for his nose this time. But he dodges her violent attempt and glares at her, sneering -

- then he kisses her. Full on the lips.

It's a rather uncomfortable kiss. What with Sarah's multiple tries to physically harm him and remove herself from him at the same time, as well as her distinct unwillingness to be an active member in said kiss. His mouth is mashed to hers, his ardor a punishment for her. He moves closer, if that's possible, smothering her entirely as he violates her mouth, his tongue sweeping in when she tries to scream.

He moans once, loud and long, his heartbeat fast and furiously pressing against her own chest.

It sickens her. _He_ sickens her.

She's starting to not be able to breathe.

He's not paying attention to her, too caught up in his own desire and pleasures. He doesn't seem to understand that she needs oxygen and she can't get any with him pressed against her in such a way.

Sarah musters all of her strength and shoves her entire body weight into him. _Hard_.

He breaks away from her just barely, but it's enough to get much needed air into her lungs. She inhales deeply and tries to hank her hands out of his steel-like grip, but she is unsuccessful. "Get off of me, you sick son of a -"

He dives down to kiss her again and she turns her head away just in time for him to be exiled to the smoothness of her cheek. "Six years," Jareth murmurs against her skin between kisses that begin to trail down to her jaw and then the length of her throat. She tries to jerk away from him, but he now has a hand keeping her head in place. "Six _long_ years without you, Sarah mine."

"Not long enough!" Sarah spits. "I'm not yours, either, you fucking bastard!"

"Such language," he chuckles, scraping his teeth against her jugular gently. She flinches, but he continues carelessly, "Don't say you haven't thought about me, dearest. I know of what you dream."

"I don't dream of you!" she denies vehemently.

". . . As often," he corrects.

"Ever!" she snarls, struggling once again for good measure. He easily keeps her immobile.

"You can't lie to me, precious," he purrs, kissing her shoulder reverently.

"I haven't!" she swears. "Not since . . ."

He pulls back to look at her and moves her head so that their eyes meet. Both sets are cruel. "I'm everywhere, Sarah," he says seriously. "In your thoughts, in your heart, in your soul. Just because we've been apart doesn't mean that I'm not still a part of you."

She's crying now, tears beginning to leak down her face. "That's not true," she denies, shaking her head ever so slightly. "Please just go away."

His face softens at the sight of her tears and he lets go of her head to wipe them away for her. "I've missed you so much," he says softly, so softly she barely heard him.

"How did you find me?" Sarah demands suddenly, her bottom lip quivering as she continued to cry. Jareth eyes her lips hungrily.

"Shh, shh," he shushes her soothingly, craning his head closer to hers. "That doesn't matter," he says. "All that matters is that we're together again."

Sarah opens her mouth, prepared to argue, when he leaned down to kiss her again. He was infinitely gentler this time, worshiping her lips instead of terrorizing them. He let go of her wrists, allowing her hands to fall limply onto his shoulders, and instead cradles her head tenderly.

She's the one who breaks away, shaking her head slightly, her eyes closed. "No. _No_ - this . . . This isn't right. I can't -" But they're kissing again, and this time both sides are equally active. Sarah fists her hands into his hair and he finds the swell of her hip, pulling her closer -

- **_You're no match for me, Sarah_** -

- she's pushing him back against the other wall, growling. Jareth doesn't know she's doing this out of anger, not out of passion. She bites his bottom lip, cutting his flesh and drawing blood. But he just groans and nips back, enjoying the feel of her against him after _so long_.

God, how she hates him, she_** hates**_ him -

- and he loves her,_** loves**_ her with a flame glowing red.

It's disgusting.

It's gross.

It's _**wrong**_.

How dare he come back after six years and act as if nothing had happened? How dare he take such liberties with her, forcing himself onto her even? How dare he find her after so long and attempt to ruin her happiness? How _**dare **_he?

She can't deny she still harbors some attraction for him. She loved him once upon a time.

But he's bad. More than bad.

He's evil.

He steals babies, for Christ's sake!

And he'll steal _her_ right now if she doesn't do something quick.

She was successfully distracting him right now, sure - _among other things_, her mind softly whispers to her.

_Shut the hell up_, she tells herself.

She kisses him and she kisses him and when she sees her chance -

- she's flying out of his grasp, running for her life -

- but wait, _why isn't she moving_?

"I thought you might try something like this, precious," drawls the Goblin King, straightening his gloves and watching her through hooded eyes. "Your first instinct is always to try and run away from me when you're the . . . Well, you're the one _on top_."

Sarah's frozen. _Literally_.

She's stuck in mid-run, one foot barely on the ground, the other suspended in the air. She's perfectly balanced, like a statue. "What have you done?" she gasps, fighting her own muscles to no avail.

"No, what have _you _done, dear girl?" He slides up next to her, gently running a single finger down the length of her arm. The trail he traces leaves behind goosebumps on her skin. "You brought this on yourself. All of it."

"It's not fair!" she practically yells, though her lips feel numb.

He pauses, tilting his head slightly. "I suppose you do have a basis for comparison, now," he concedes thoughtfully. "But haven't you learned by now that _life_ isn't far?"

"You think you can just walk in here, terrorize my home, violate my person, and claim that it's just_ life_ that's not fair?"

"I don't think I can, Sarah," Jareth corrects, cupping her cheek softly, a smile playing on his lips. "I already have. Not only that, I'm going to take you home and keep you with me forever. How's that for fairness?"

She's shaking, she's so angry. "You son of a bitch! I hate you!" When he's unperturbed by her callous words, she takes things further. "You have no - !"

"Shh," he stops her, placing a finger over her mouth. "It's only forever, Sarah," he says kindly, despite the malicious grin thats spreading over his lips. "It's not long at all."

There's a knock on the door.

They both freeze.

Well, Jareth freezes, seeing as how Sarah is already frozen in place.

_Bastard_, she thinks.

"Sarah? Sarah, honey, I forget my keys."

Jareth hisses, straightening up to his full height. He's raising his hand through the air, conjuring a crystal, and she's going into full-fledged panic mode.

"Jareth, no! Please don't!" she begs, her voice barely a whisper.

"Sarah, open up, will you?" Roger calls loudly.

Jareth's eyes flicker over to her, and she looks at him beseechingly. He's conflicted, she can tell, but he's ready and prepared to hurt the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

_He's going to hurt Roger no no **no **he can't he can't do that say anything **do** anything just make sure he doesn't hurt him_ -

"Sarah, are you in there?"

Jareth snarls, but she calls his attention back to her easily with a soft, "Jareth?" As he looks at her, his gaze intense, she feels her body relaxing. "Jareth, this has gone a little fast and all . . . I mean it's been six years . . ."

"Sarah!" Roger is persistent. Jareth twitches.

"But . . . If you still love me . . ." Sarah regains the function of her arms and she reaches for him.

He moves away from her and grabs her in the same motion. She lets out a surprised squeak as he growls, "Do not speak to me of love!"

He's suddenly vulnerable, even if he doesn't realize it, and she jumps at the chance to use this in her favor. "Don't scare me away, Jareth," she whispers. "Not again."

He's gripping her so tightly she wants to twist away from the pain, but she stays strong and stares him down. She vaguely hears Roger call out for her again, but she can't deal with him right now. She has to save him.

Jareth abruptly pulls away from her, letting her go and waving his hand through the air purposefully. She is suddenly presented a crystal, outstretched before her temptingly. "Take it," he says. When she hesitates, he repeats more forcefully, "Take it!"

She obeys him swiftly, cradling the crystal in both hands. Nothing happens for a moment.

Then she gasps.

The crystal is melting in her palms, turning into a black infection that seeps into her skin and begins to spread.

She screams loudly and Jareth shushes her, placing his hand over her mouth. Roger's yelling back, concerned for her now, but she can't do anything, because she's fading fast.

"It's all right, Sarah," Jareth says, meaning to be comforting. "When you wake up, everything will be better. I promise."

She doesn't believe him at all but she can't contradict him because everything's going dark, she feels like everything is caving in on her -

- and with a final sigh, she closes her eyes and falls away from her world.

* * *

Are you confused?

Good, you should be!

I can't offer you any hints or anything, but if you're still with me, I will let you know you are in for a very fun, dark, M-rated ride.

Oh, how I hate my muses.

Love! I mean love my muses! Of course... :)

Alright, please leave a review, even if it's just at WTF review.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

**Disclaimer: **_I own nothing, I swear! Just leave me alone, will you?_


	3. Interlude

Sarah had left him.

A _second _time.

He had lost her once, and that pain had been almost unbearable. She had smashed through his Labyrinth, his ballroom, his world, and his heart. He had offered her everything and he had been rejected. She hadn't even known what he had done for her!

But the pain had fueled his fire. He was more persistent; he knew that there was something between them. His mistake had been to mystify her. He should have laid down his love before her so that she could see it before her eyes. She wasn't aware, and that wasn't entirely her fault. Surely once she realized his feelings, she would come to her senses.

So he came back. Slowly wheedled his way back into her life. It wasn't hard; after all, she was only fifteen. She was a hormonal time bomb, in need of stability and uplifting reassurance. She wasn't sure of him at first, but slowly, she opened up to him, even began to trust him. He became her confidante, her most trusted advisor. He held her when she cried, listened to her when she vented, and cooed sweet nothings in her ear when she was in the most need of positivity.

Then he became her lover.

He waited, of course. She wanted it to be meaningful, with someone special. She was eighteen, and the two of them were closer than words could define. He loved her with all of his being, and she came to love him with all of her heart.

After she let him into her life, her heart, and finally her bed, it hadn't made much sense to continue to keep him hidden from the rest of her family. He was properly introduced to them (in mortal clothes that itched and were much too spacious to be considered comfortable) as a college student at Dartmouth, which wasn't too far from the Williams' house. Sarah's stepmother adored him, Toby thought the world of him, and his father didn't hate him. He was thus accepted as Sarah's boyfriend and lived a steady half-life Aboveground with her.

Then things began to change. Sarah started college and found work, and had less and less time for the demanding Goblin King. He became moody, irritable, and callous as she toiled through her studies and her job. Things added up to one another and, before Jareth knew it, Sarah was ready to be back in the friends zone.

Jareth could not take it.

After all he had done, after nearly four years of catering to her every need and whim, she was breaking up with him? He loved her, he _needed _her, and he was passed the point of no return.

He did what he thought he had to do.

He made her run the Labyrinth again.

This time for her own freedom.

Once again, he failed miserably. Despite his seductions and all the tricks he had up his sleeve, she knew him better than he knew himself. She breezed through his Labyrinth, even without the assistance of her friends. She won and banished him from her life for his troubles.

She left him again. His poor, inexperienced heart could not bear it. Bitter rage and rejection faded away into a rainbow of emotions: jealousy, anger, desire, selfishness, restlessness. But as he resided in his castle beyond the Goblin City, unable to make his way back to his lady love, all feelings inside him melted into ash and one other thing.

Obsession.

It tore into the Goblin King with ferocious intent, and before long, it was all he had left.

Sarah Williams had inadvertently created a monster.

A monster for her alone.

* * *

Hey guys! I know it's just a short little ditty, but I thought I'd at least put something up hear for ya'll. This year has been my first in college and it's been CRAZY. What with school and the holidays, I haven't had much time to write. I'll put out what I can when I can, but just remember, I'm not dead! :)

Thank you all for all the WONDERFUL reviews and don't forget to drop another one in on your way out!

Much love, your authoress.

**Disclaimer:** _I'm pretty much out of witty disclaimer jokes._


	4. Chapter Two

It's the light that awakens her. It pierces through her eyelids, startling her awake.

Someone is singing.

The voice is low and sensual, and she has to listen hard to understand.

_"I'll paint you mornings of gold_

_I'll spin you valentine evenings . . ."_

"Don't you think that song has been a little overplayed by now?" she says groggily, her voice hoarse, hesitantly opening one eye at a time.

Jareth mocks a wound. "Not at all."

Sarah smirks humorlessly, stretching slowly. "What'd you do to me?" she asks, her voice eerily calm.

Jareth says nothing. She waits for an answer, but when he offers none, she turns her attention to her surroundings. The room is large and extravagant, the color black prominently featured, from the silken bedsheets to the color of the wall.

She's been here before. But things look different.

"Things look different," she says intelligently, allowing her thoughts to roll off of her tongue easily. She's pretty sure it's just the color scheme that's changed, though, because there's still a hole in the wall that she had once used as a boxing opponent and all the furniture hasn't moved.

"We are different," he says softly, almost as if he is giving too much away by saying anything at all. Sarah thinks this is a stupid answer.

She finally flickers her attention over to her companion. While she is lounging on the bed, Jareth sits on the window sill, staring at her instead of the expansive view beside him. She notices dully that he has changed outfits, and that so has she.

Sarah isn't dumb enough to ask if he "helped" her out of her clothes. She already knows the answer.

_Bastard,_ she thinks loudly, as if he can hear her thoughts.

"So . . ." she says, turning on her side and propping her head up on her fist so that she faces him. He blinks in response. "Any chance that if I throw a big enough temper tantrum, you might send me back home?"

He simply raises a single eyebrow. She expects this.

"Right . . ." she nods, averting her gaze awkwardly. "Well, can you at least get me a drugged peach real quick? I just want to _stick it up your arse_." Sarah adds the last part venomously, glaring at him through narrowed eyes.

Usually, Jareth found her fiery temper to be amusing. However, instead of laughing at her boldness, he looks away from her, out through the window at the vast Labyrinth.

"What am I going to do with you, Sarah?" he sighs, sounding almost mournful.

"Sending me home and staying the hell away from me for forever sounds like a great start," she offers helpfully.

"This is your home," Jareth says firmly.

"You're delusional."

"You're in denial."

She snorts skeptically. "Why would I be in denial? I _hate_ you."

His words hit her like a slap. "Don't say such things."

She says nothing in reply, only staring impassively at her captor with a firm jaw. Jareth glares at her, eyes seething, before relaxing enough to continue. "You continue to refuse me, even when your very heart sings in my presence, precious . . . I would call that denial."

"Um, no. I stand by what I said when I called you delusional," she says, trying not to roll her eyes. "Really, Jareth, this is ridiculous. I've made my disinterest very clear. And for you to stalk and kidnap me -"

"Why do you deceive yourself, Sarah?"

" - is immoral and wrong," she continues, as if she hadn't heard him speak at all. "It's been six years, Jareth. _Six years_. If you wanted to try to contact me again, _this_ is not how to go about it." Sarah gestures wildly around her. "You should also respect me as a person and honor my wishes of _wanting you to stay the hell away from me_."

"What happened to 'don't scare me away again, Jareth'?" he asks, mocking her with her words from the previous night. If it was the previous night . . . Honestly, she just hoped that ten years hadn't passed while she had been unconscious.

She _was_ in the Labyrinth. Things were never what they seemed to be.

"I take no responsibility for any words I might have spoken under such extreme duress," she replies coolly.

Jareth raises one eyebrow, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. "So you're saying that you truly have no wish to have anything to do with me any longer?" he questions, his voice calm and almost teasing. "You don't find me attractive anymore?"

She stiffens. "That has nothing to do with anything," she snaps. "And I don't," she says firmly, a hint of hesitancy barely detectable in tremor in her voice.

"I see," Jareth averts his gaze, glancing down at the ground as he attempts to contain a grin. "So if I were to . . . say, go over and kiss you senseless at this very moment in time, you wouldn't be inclined to respond?"

"I sure as hell wouldn't!" Sarah exclaims, scuttling back on the bed, further away from him. "Don't you try it either, mister!" she says, pointing a finger accusingly at him when he looks at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I will slap you silly!"

He laughs heartily, though his eyes were dark. "My beautiful one," he murmurs. "I have been without you for six _long_ years. To suggest that I should simply release you after . . . no. No, I cannot even comprehend doing so." Jareth straightens, his chin jutting out imperiously. "Put such silly whims out of your mind, Sarah."

"You're out of your mind," she says, shaking her head. "You selfish bastard! Don't you care about what_ I_ want?"

"Not particularly, no," he replies coldly. "Not anymore."

"And you wonder why I hate you?" she asks incredulously.

"Enough of this," he says brusquely, standing up suddenly, his hands clasping behind his back. "I do hope you remember where everything is, because I expect you to be dressed and ready for breakfast with me within the hour."

"You can't boss me around, Jareth!"

"Sarah, if you continue this childish charade, I assure you that it will not be you alone who suffers the consequences." Sarah's jaw drops open, but she did not argue any further as Jareth swept out of the room, the heavy door shutting loudly behind him.

God, she could not _stand_ him.

Things were still as she had left them, for the most part. An unwanted memory creeps into her brain, teasing her with visions of the past.

_She remembers laughing in astonishment. _**How did you do this? Change everything this way?**

_He had been meek, almost shy; she had never seen this side to him before. _**I did it to please you,** _he replied._

_The Castle Beyond the Goblin City had been molded from an architect's nightmare into the Castle of her dreams, straight from a fairytale. Her favorite color, green _(like her eyes, Jareth always said, though she was fairly sure her eyes were hazel and would never call them green)_, was predominantly displayed, and even the view of the newly-refurbished Labyrinth was pleasing._

_She laughed again, this time in delight, and threw herself into his arms. He caught her gracefully and spun her around, his arms firmly around her waist, her arms locked around his neck. They shared a kiss, and Sarah had never felt more content than she had in that moment._

Sarah shakes her head, willing the memory away. That man no longer existed, and she was a very different person at twenty-five than she was at nineteen.

And she sure as hell wasn't putting on _that_ dress.

Upon throwing open the wardrobe, she finds, to her distaste, a sleek red number that she was certain Jareth wanted her to wear - quite simply, because that was the only dress there. She huffs, slamming the wardrobe doors shut and looking down at herself.  
_  
Just because I'm wearing a sheer, form-fitting nightgown did not mean that I need to reduce herself to wearing _that _dress_, she thinks.

Sarah was obviously lying to herself, because with ten minutes, she slipped into the red dress that she detested, mostly because it covered more than her nightgown had.  
_  
God, I hate him, _she says to herself internally, vividly imagining ways to escape and permanently maim the Goblin King in the process.

She considers moping about in her room, refusing to go to the King despite her grumbling stomach, when she hears noises coming from outside her room.

Tentatively, she got up and pressed her ear to the door.

"Shh, shut up, shut up!"

"Don't wake the lady!"

"No, no, she's up, she's up - she's just, just . . . um . . ."

"What was it the King said?"

"Stalking?"

"Soaking?"

"Shocking?"

"Sparkles?"

"Ooh, I hope it's sparkles! I LOVE SPARKLES!"

"_Shut up_!"

"Well, whatever it is, we can't bother the -"

Sarah opens the door.

". . . Lady," finishs off a goblin awkwardly.

"Was the word _sulking_, Tunk?" Sarah asks wryly.

The heard of goblins outside of her room all look up at her, wide-eyed and mouths open. After a moment, the one she had singled out nodded meekly. "Yes's, Lady."

"Mmm," she made a noncommittal noise, crossing her arms as she looked down at them disapprovingly. After letting them sweat for a moment, anticipating a famous Sarah fit, she abruptly grins at them. "I did miss you all," she says, opening up her arms for a goblin group hug.

Five minutes later, Sarah was walking down the long corridors of the Castle, goblins hanging off her shoulders and onto her legs, chattering and singing and laughing and doing general things goblins do (though they smartly put away the ale, because last time the Lady had been at the Castle, the King told them she was _underage_, and thus went away the mead).

"I really don't want to go eat with the King," she says seriously to the goblin closest to her left ear, Tunk, who was one of the more intelligent goblins and Sarah's best goblin friend.

"Why not, Lady?"

"His Majesty and I didn't really end on a good foot," she says, thinking back to when they had parted ways.

"Whose foot was it?" Tunk asks curiously.

She smirks humorlessly. "Not mine."

"King misses you," says Tunk diplomatically.

Sarah frowns. "I guessed as much myself."

"Doesn't dance as much," Tunk says thoughtfully. "More goblins in the Bog."

"I'm sorry," Sarah says comfortingly, patting the goblin on the head as best she could with two goblins hanging onto her fingers.

Tunk sniffles. "Miss's the singing."

"I'm sorry I left like I did, Tunk," she says, changing the subject. "I'm sorry I haven't come to visit, too. The King and I's . . . er, misunderstanding shouldn't have hurt all of you," she addresses all of the goblins now. They accept her apology, for the most part, except for Fifi who still blames Sarah for the King's lack of musical dance numbers.

"I really have missed all of you," she says, tearing up, making the goblins loosen their grip on her, preparing for a famous Sarah cryfest.

"We miss's you too, Lady," says Tunk quickly, inspiring other goblins to chime in, hoping to avoid a crisis.

"Yes, Sarah," chimes in another voice, one that did not belong to a goblin. "We have missed you."

Sarah, despite being startled by Jareth's sudden appearance in front of her, manages to reign in her surprise and glare daggers at the King. The goblins wisely drop off of Sarah's body and scuttle away, not looking forward to a King and Lady "big, large shouting match you can hear from the Bog".

Jareth smiles, opening the door to the dining room (which she hadn't realized she had wandered to) and gesturing for her to enter before him. "Ladies first," he purrs.

Distrustful, she keeps her eyes on him as she walks inside the dining room, stubbornly silent even as he waltzs around her to take out her chair for her.

There were no words spoken, even as they began on breakfast (souffle with fruit on the side - Jareth never liked to be predictable), though Jareth had an amused smirk on his lips. Sarah, seething, knew he was waiting for an outburst, but she was refusing to give in to the silence.

Almost three-fourths of the way done eating, Sarah cracks. "You're insufferable!" she cries.

Jareth's smirk turns into a full-fledged grin, even as he continues eating as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Am I, dearest?"

"How can you just sit there like everything is normal?" she demands. "I'm sitting here, imagining all the ways I can strangle the life out of you, and you, my _kidnapper_, are simply enjoying breakfast! You're insufferable!"

Jareth puts a hand to his throat, rubbing it gently in mock fright. "My neck has done nothing to offend you!" he says innocently.

Her eyes narrow dangerously. "Go to hell," she growls, standing suddenly and moving to leave.

"Don't be dramatic, Sarah," he sighs, flicking his wrist and forcing the doors to slam closed and lock themselves. She was forced to stop in her tracks, her fists clenching in rage. "Come sit back down."

Stiffly, she obeys, taking her seat once again, though she is quivering with anger. She's thinking quickly, trying to think of a new tactic. How did she last get her way with Jareth?

"I know this is sudden," he drawls. "But you'll get used to it, _us_, again, precious, I promise. Things will be back to the way they were before, and I will take care of everything."

"I just want to go back, Jareth," she says, more quietly than the last time she spoke. "That's all I want."

He is suddenly stoic, looking at her with hard eyes. "No."

"Please, Jareth?" she is pleading with him, still trying to figure out the best way to beat him at his own game.

He pauses. "_You_ have no power over _me_," Jareth laughs after a moment. "Oh, how good it is to say that!"

Sarah is unaffected by his words, however. Instead, she tilts her head, and a slow smile spreads over her lips. She knows what to do now.

"If only that was true," she says, suddenly pouting as she mocks him. "If only." She sensually places her hands on his legs, trailing up them slowly until she can move from her seat to his, climbing up on top of him, bracing herself by placing her hands on his shoulders.

He stiffens under her touch, but says nothing. She knows she has him now.

She leans in closer, placing her mouth beside his ear. "I have plenty of power over you, Jareth," she breathes seductively, nipping his ear for emphasis. He starts, unprepared for her boldness.

She pulls back and he moves his head so that their eyes meet. Sarah's smirking; Jareth is solemn. Something passes between them, and for a split second, she feels the power shift in her favor. He reaches up to grasp her hips and, almost triumphantly, she bends down so that he has an easier path to her lips -

- but then he pushes her away.

She lands_** hard.**_

Stunned by her sudden position on the floor, she gazes up at him, confused. He looks down on her with an unamused expression and his eyes alight.

"Don't play with fire, little girl," he warns, his voice low and dangerous. "You might just get burnt."

* * *

Another update? So quickly? You must be wondering what happened to your authoress!

She's not in a closet somewhere, bound and gagged, and being impersonated by an alien, if that's what you're thinking! Why ever would you think that? Stop thinking.

Anyhoo, thank you all for all the lovely reviews! Reviews truly make me update faster, and look, this is even a longer chapter! See, I aim to please.

Thanks for reading, I hoped you enjoyed it, I will see you for the next installment, and don't forget to leave a review on the way out!

Seriously. Leave a review.

XOXO!

**Disclaimer:** _I own nothing because I am a college student, and thus I am poor._


	5. Chapter Three

Sarah, pride wounded, gets to her feet quickly and hisses like a wild cat. "I hate you," she snarls fiercely before turning on her heels and nearly flying out of the room.

Jareth lets her go, indulging her behavior patiently.

As much as she loathes to admit to herself, she still remembers every inch of the Castle; she couldn't help the dreams that constantly took her back there. She maneuvers it with ease, just wanting to get _out_, as far away from from _him_ as possible, finally stopping when she reaches the gardens facing the Labyrinth.

Sarah merely stands there for a moment, chest heaving, before finally breaking down and falling to the floor in a sobbing heap. She lets it all out: her despair at leaving behind Roger, her family, and her home, her anger at being taken unwilling from them, her hatred towards the man who kept her prisoner. She cries until she lost track of time.

When her tears dwindle to a smaller number, she feels a small tug at the hem of her dress. Looking up cautiously, she sees a small goblin peering up at her with wide, concerned eyes.

"Meep?" it chirps, obviously unable to form real words. Some of the goblins took a long time to learn how to talk again, and some never were able to speak at all. Sarah didn't really know why this was, and had never given it much thought before.

"Hello," Sarah says, choking back another sob. "I'm sorry to distress you, my good goblin. I just . . . oh, I don't know, it's just all so much, and it really _**isn't fair**_ -!"

The goblin makes another noise, gently patting her arm as he comes closer to her, his sad eyes attempting to convey to her what his mouth could not.

"You're a new one, aren't you?" she asks, sniffling. "Poor thing . . ." Sarah reaches over and scoops him up in cupped palms; he barely fills the space provided.

"Do you need a name?" she questions kindly, for many of the goblins forgot their old names after the transformation. To her surprise, the goblin shakes his head. "What is it then?" she asks.

The goblin hops down from her hands and begins to claw at the dirt next to them. He takes a long time to form a crudely written word, though it did clearly spell 'JAKE.'

"Jake, is it?" she says as he climbs into her lap. "Oh my goodness!" she cries suddenly, noticing several small cuts across Jake's hands and back. "Oh, you poor, poor thing," she croons, touching the red marks gently to discover they were not new enough to still be bleeding. "What happened to you?"

Whether he wouldn't or couldn't tell her was unclear to Sarah, but he is silent all the same, snuggling into her middle. "I'm very sorry you can't talk," she says sincerely. "I have a feeling you would have a lot of very interesting things to say." She relaxes against a bench and a wave of exhaustion hits her, despite her recent night of full sleep.

She laughs bitterly to herself. "You know you're quite depressed when all you want to do is sleep," she says to the goblin, who merely gazes up at her with something akin to . . . perhaps guilt, in his eyes? No, Sarah shakes her head, it must just be understanding.

"I haven't been sleeping at all lately," she admits to the goblin in a low voice. "My dreams have been getting worse, and I can't seem to do anything about them."

He looks at her questioningly, as if urging her to continue on that thought.

"Jareth probably has something to do with that, actually, now that I think about that," she mumbles bitterly. "It's the only way he could still torture me, since I had taken away all of his other opportunities . . ." Sarah sighs, getting to her feet and taking the little goblin with her. "Want to walk around the gardens for awhile, Jake?"

He nods and she takes it upon herself to keep up the one-sided conversation as they stroll around the gardens, stopping occasionally to smell the flowers or dip their feet in the fountains.

Jareth leaves her alone, as do all the other Labyrinthian inhabitants.

She is grateful for this, and takes the opportunity to relax with new company. When the day draws to a close, she and Jake find a spot amongst the daisies to use as a bed and fall asleep amongst the flowers.

But even in sleep she is not free.

...

Sarah dreamed.

She moved fluidly through dream space, a dress made of silk ribbon draped almost carelessly on her frame. It was if she was dancing in slow motion; she could hear her heart beat in her ears, hear the crunching of leaves beneath her feet even though the only color she could see around her was white.

She was happy.

And she was being hunted.

A sound not from beneath her made her heart jump; she looked all around her and saw nothing. But she had been alerted.

She ran.

She was fast, perhaps almost faster than her predator. But the fabric of her dress turned against her, and she stumbled long enough for claws to dig into her waist.

With a soundless scream, she tumbles to the ground, the weight of her hunter trapping her to the ground. She struggles, twists and turns, her limbs flailing and scratching at the creature against her, but she has been caught. Her dress has been torn into shreds around her; she is naked but for the few remains that stubbornly cling to her body. She is crying and the tears are licked from her cheeks before they can slide off of her face. She yells and begs and pleads but her voice falls on deaf ears.

She sees streaks of gold amongst all of the white.

She is surrounded, utterly and completely, and the being on top of her leans down to whisper in her ear.

"I love you, Sarah."

All turns black.

Light.

Disoriented, Sarah squints into the world around her, still in the period between awake and asleep. She hears footsteps.

_He _is there suddenly, one hand moving to her shoulder, and the other going about her middle. "Sarah, my love, come back inside," he coos, attempting to pull her to him.

Still lagging from the dream fading from her memory, she resists, lashing out with her hands as claws. "No!" she screams. "Don't touch me!"

He catches them easily, and she cries out, his grip tight and firm. "Stop acting like a child," he hisses, picking her up swiftly and cradling her to his chest.

"Stop it!" she yells, wrangling away her hands and pounding her fists uselessly against him.

He does stop, and for a moment she thinks her protests have worked. But she then groggily turns her head to the place her body once resided, she sees what has halted the Goblin King.

Little Jake curled up, still sleeping as if he was still beside her.

"Were you conversing with this creature, Sarah?" his voice is low, dangerous.

She makes a noncommittal noise, turning and burying her face into his shoulder so she doesn't have to look at him.

"Sarah." His tone makes it clear he expects an answer.

"Maybe," she replies petulantly.

"Stay away from this goblin," he says firmly, turning away pointedly and striding back towards the castle. "He's nothing but trouble."

"I like him," she grumbles stubbornly.

"You would," he says. "You're also nothing but trouble."

She couldn't help but smile slightly, even as she almost unwilling fell back asleep in his arms.

...

She wakes up, her first dismal morning back, and rolls over to see Jareth on the floor beside her bed. She is not shocked to see him; however, she is surprised to see him on the floor, instead of in the bed beside her.

She cracks a smile unthinkingly, amused at the site before her: a King is half-asleep on the ground, a pillow under his head and his regal silk pajamas blending into the black floor beneath him.

"Good morning," she smirks, an eyebrow raised in question, as he limply rolls his head over to look up at her, hands underneath his head. "Get any sleep down there?"

He smirks impishly, still groggy from slumber. "You couldn't even conceive how spectacular it is to sleep on granite, Sarah. You should try it some time."

"How did you end up there anyways, your Majesty?" her tone is sarcastic.

He falls silent for a moment, and she tilts her head curiously. "I can't sleep without you," he admits lowly, flickering his gaze to the opposite wall.

Any retorting comeback dies on her tongue, and she is briefly taken aback by his honesty.

"Next time," she says lightly, quickly attempting to bury any reviving feelings for her captor back into the dark abyss they came from. "You should at least bring an air-mattress."

"That's my girl," he smiles, closing his eyes again. "Always the smart one."

"I'm not your girl, and I still hate your fuckin' guts," she says pleasantly.

"Language!" he warns, but isn't even bothered enough to look at her.

"Fuck you," she speak-sings teasingly.

He suddenly springs up and is on top of her, pinning her to the bed with a playful growl. She shrieks in laughter, thrashing underneath him. He grins and presses her further down into the mattress. "Say that again, dearest?"

"Fuck you!"

He leans down, and for a moment, she expects him to kiss her. She freezes, staring wide-eyed at his mouth. It is silent - and then Jareth breaks it by saying in a more serious voice, "You still love me."

This effectively ruins her amicable mood. "Get off of me," she says, turning her head away from him.

"You would have kissed me," he points out, not listening to her.

She glares at him, her head snapping back. "I would not have!"

His lips smash against hers, his hands releasing her to cradle her head. She responds immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck and her fingers entangling in his hair. Jareth lets out a moan of pure pleasure, maneuvering his way between her legs.

Then she remembers.

And stops.

Jareth is persistent and loathe to halt the moment; he taps on her jaw with his bare fingers and murmurs persuasively against her lips, "Come back to me."

"No!" she tears her mouth away from his and pushes against his shoulders.

Sighing, he rolls off of her and she scuttles to the opposite side of the bed and curls up into a ball. She glares daggers at him, while he is smirking in self-satisfaction.

"Darling," he purrs. "You really are a tease."

With an animalistic growl, she throws the nearest pillow and chucks it fiercely at his head, which he easily blocks. "There's no shame in love, Sarah," he says more seriously.

"I don't love you," she snaps. "I love Roger."

His eyes darken instantly. "Ah yes," he says lowly. "Your beau."

"I can't deny that I still have feelings for you, Jareth," she says. "But they aren't love. Not anymore. You had your chance, and you ruined it?"

"_I_ ruined it?" he hisses, twitching as he seemingly contains himself from lunging at her. "I seem to recall an intense conversation in which _you_ told _me _that I was no longer what you wanted."

"I wanted my dreams, Jareth," she replies harshly. "And you were getting in the way of them."

"I would have given you any dream or passing fancy you desired!"

"That's what you never understood." Sarah shakes her head. "You cheapen dreams by making them so easy to obtain."

"But I was never in the way of your dreams, Sarah," he replies stubbornly.

"You hated me being in college!"

"You were ignoring me!"

"Do you not remember how much homework I had? I was ignoring _everyone_."

"You didn't explain this to me!" Jareth half-yells. "You cut me out of your life!"

"I shouldn't have had to!" she cries passionately. "And I didn't!"

Somehow they were kissing again, although neither of them realizes how they suddenly went from arguing fiercely to clutching at each other like life lines.

Sarah breaks the kiss again, hitting at his chest with little force. "Stop it!" she says. "Stop kissing me! I love Roger!"

"_You_ kissed _me_!" he roars, pinning her down to the mattress as she struggled against him.

"No! _Stop it_! You have no power over me!"

The world fell for a brief moment. Sarah inhales sharply, realizing the words she said and their impact. Jareth grips her shoulders so tightly, she can feel the formation of bruises on her skin. The air falls silent, devoid of sound for several seconds before -

"What did you say?" Jareth snarls, his face lowering to hers.

She closes her eyes and kicks at him blindly, choosing not to reply.

"Answer me, Sarah," his voice is low and demanding.

"You have no power over me, dammit!" she shrieks.

"Those words no longer have any weight coming from you, precious thing," he growls, his weight going against her as she begins to thrash. "I do, and you know it. You have no easy way out anymore."

"You have no power me! _You have no power over me!_" she starts to sob, tears flowing down her face and catching in strands of Jareth's face. His demeanor softens instantly, and he relaxes his hold on her just as she goes limp. "You have no power over me," she mumbles sadly, as Jareth kisses away tears on her cheeks.

"My dearest one," he croons, rolling off of her and gathering her to him gently. "I love you so. Why must you continue you to torture me?"

"You're the one hurting me," she chokes out. "I didn't ask for any of this."

He is silent for a long moment, seriously contemplating his response while smoothing one hand gently over the length of her hair. "Neither did I," he replies darkly.

* * *

I'm sorry for being a terrible updater, and I'm sorry that this isn't the greatest. It's barely even been proofread by yours truly, and I'm also rather delirious. It's very late here, and I wrote this in a span of just a few hours. College has been killing me, and this is finals week. Blehh.

A few notes to keep in mind - yes, I am a slow writer. I am really sorry. Encouragement does encourage me though . . . But that seems like that is very easily inferred, lol. Also, do not expect the typical from this story. Although I feel dangerously close to cliche land at the moment, I will be revamping this fic soon and tweaking it so it fits the vision in my head more accurately.

Lastly, know that I love you all, and your reviews get me through my hardest of days.

PLEASE share feedback - I'm not a mind reader, but I need to know what you all are thinking. :) Sorry that this isn't much, again, and that it is very late - but know that while I am slow, I am also very loyal, and don't give up on things too easily!

I love you all very much. Thanks for sticking with me.

**Disclaimer:** _You know the drill._


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